I like Emma’s theory on the mix of people in venues. I’m looking forward to trying more places – our office is moving into the CBD next week, so I’m hoping to meet up with friends in the central city cafes & bars more often (ETA: the building behind the trees in the shot of the punt - that's my new office!)

And yes, the mysterious disappearing cycle lanes are a standard Christchurch feature. They’re pretty common on the long straight roads through the suburbs, like Riccarton, Innes & Cranford. Thankfully they usually reappear at intersections, but it would be nice to have them all the way along the block.

I went on my first tramp in at least 10 years last weekend – the sore muscles have finally faded, the sandfly bites are calming down, and I have a whole bunch of new landscape shots for my screensaver :)

Christchurch has a variety of bike stands, everything from fully enclosed & locked cycle storage areas (mostly for workplaces like the hospital & university) to the dodgy low-profile useless things like your Countdown photo. Things are slow going around the central city - many times I've biked to a new pub & found the only place to lock up is the chain link fence of the building site next door.

My workplace is shifting to the central city next year, and we're still waiting to find out if the landlord will provide more than 22 bike parks in the basement. ~400 health board staff, plus the staff for the retail/hospitality spaces downstairs, in an area with restricted carparking, and you only provide space for 22 bikes? We'd fill that now, and more people will bike once we relocate.

One thing I distinctly remember is the weird half levels & steps down into rooms. There didn't seem to be any reason for it.

I spent most Wednesdays camped out at a trestle table in the foyer or outside the entrance closest to the bridge, signing people up for the ski club and various Temple Basin events. Our diet consisted of the chocolate cake at Brasilia & fried rice from the little Chinese takeaway on the carpark side.

Watching the engineers try to cross the river on their bridge projects.

Discovering the gigantic box of condom packages in the back of a meeting room (donated by Durex for O week, I think). And nicking off with most of them (it was August & we needed them for Winter Games in Wanaka).